You go above and beyond to make sure your hearing aids are well cared for. When you go to bed, you always put them comfortably on the charger and you clean them daily.
Suddenly and discouragingly, your hearing aids are no longer working the way they once did. Fortunately, there are some measures you can take to diagnose the issue. Not doing any additional damage is your top priority so you won’t need to replace them.
Troubleshooting your hearing aid
Of course, when you first got your nice new hearing aids, you made a point of putting the owner’s manual in a safe spot. You’ll want to get it out so you can use it for troubleshooting and, possibly, maintenance. Each model of hearing aid can be somewhat different so it’s important to follow the manual’s recommendations.
On most models there are some other things you can check, here are a few:
- Wax accumulation: Be certain that there’s no wax on your hearing aid by giving it a visual inspection. Even if you perform routine cleaning, sometimes wax can accumulate quickly, so it’s worth ticking this off your list.
- Check your battery: You’ll still want to assess the battery power even if you had your hearing aids on the charger overnight. If your hearing aid has replaceable batteries, it might be a good idea to check if those batteries are correctly inserted or if a new one solves the issue.
- Keep your microphone clear: Check for anything blocking the microphone of your hearing aid. Your hearing aid might feedback or merely fail to work if the microphone is obstructed.
- Look for visible damage: Does your hearing aid have any apparent loose components or cracks in its shell? Cracks, clearly, could suggest more significant damage (or let in moisture).
Once again you can learn how to address each of these issues by referring to your owner’s manual. Self-maintenance is sometimes possible.
How will I know when my hearing aid requires repair?
If your hearing aid continues to malfunction after you’ve performed basic maintenance and troubleshooting, it’s likely that your hearing aid will need to be professionally repaired. You need your hearing aids for nearly every aspect of your life so this might not sound really appealing.
It’s certainly worth taking note that “repair” doesn’t always translate into “send your hearing aids in for service and wait several weeks”. In some instances, we can fix your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, you’ll be able to take your hearing aids in for professional help and have them back in a matter of a few hours (this, of course, depends on the degree of the damage, all the more reason to get your devices in for repair as soon as you can).
There are still some cases where such quick repair isn’t possible. And in those cases, you might find yourself in need of a backup pair of hearing aids. Perhaps you have an old pair that will do temporarily in a pinch. We might even be able to loan you a pair while you are waiting.
Don’t wait to get help with your hearing aids
It’s crucial to get your hearing aid checked and repaired if you start to notice the sound quality is beginning to fail.
Any degree of downtime needs to be prevented. Your mental health and your overall health can be impacted by neglected hearing loss. Moreover, once your hearing aids are ignored in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they’re not there, meanwhile, your hearing grows worse and worse.
Keeping those hearing aids in good working order is the key to keeping your hearing healthy. And the best way to do that is to clean them, keep them charged, and, when needed, bring your hearing aids to get some professional repair.
